Method and storage apparatus for switching data transmission path to transmit data

ABSTRACT

A method and a storage apparatus for switching a data transmission path to transmit data are provided. The storage apparatus comprises a storage element, an interface connector, a connector control interface connected with the storage element and the interface connector, a wireless transmission module, and an apparatus controller connected with the storage element and the wireless transmission module. In the method, the apparatus controller receives a connection request from a remote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module, and accordingly transmits an inquiry message to the remote apparatus to ask whether to establish a wireless data transmission path. When a confirmation message returned from the remote apparatus is received, the apparatus controller closes the connector control interface and establishes a wireless data transmission path to provide the remote apparatus to access the data in the storage element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/668,443, filed on Jul. 5, 2012. The entirety ofthe above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated byreference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The invention relates to a data transmission method and a storageapparatus. Particularly, the invention relates to a method and a storageapparatus for switching between a wired and a wireless data transmissionpath to transmit data.

2. Related Art

Nowadays, portable mobile devices such as smart phones, and tablet PCsare wide-spreading. Such an device not only can be installed withapplication programs to provide diversified functions such as phonecall, messaging, e-mail transceiving, and Internet browsing, but acamera built in the device can further provide users with functions oftaking photos or videos so as to record life event at anytime andanywhere. Such a device itself is a small multimedia player, which canprovide users with functions of recording, playing and sharingmultimedia content such as photos, and videos, so as to improve anentertainment property of the device.

In order to achieve portability and improve endurance of the device, themobile device generally uses a compact and power-efficient flash memoryto serve as a recording media for programs and files. Compared to alarge-volume storage space of a conventional hard disk, the flash memoryhas a small storage space and a high price. Therefore, considering thecost, the general mobile device is usually not configured with alarge-volume memory.

As the application programs and files installed or stored in the deviceare increased, the limited storage space of the mobile device isinsufficient. Therefore, a product of wireless disk has been developedin the market, which not only provides a wired data connection and alarge-volume storage space similar to the conventional mobile hard disk,but also has a wireless transmission function and is capable ofestablishing a wireless data connection with the mobile device totransmit data, so as to expand an applicable storage space of the mobiledevice.

However, the present wireless hard disk can only select one of a wiredand a wireless connection manner to perform data transmission, and whena user connects an external device to the wireless hard disk through aphysical line such as a universal serial bus (USB), the wireless harddisk establishes a wired data connection with the external device totransmit data. When the user unplugs the external device from thewireless device, the wireless hard disk activates a wirelesstransmission module to facilitate other devices to establish a wirelessdata connection therewith to transmit data. In this way, as long as anexternal device is connected to the wireless hard disk through thephysical line, other devices at a remote end cannot access the wirelesshard disk, and can only wait for the user to unplug the originallyconnected device.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the invention is directed to a method and a storageapparatus for switching a data transmission path to transmit data, whichfreely switches between a wired and a wireless data transmission path totransmit data.

The invention provides a method for switching a data transmission pathto transmit data, which is adapted to an apparatus controller of astorage apparatus. The storage apparatus includes a storage element, aninterface connector, a connector control interface connected with thestorage element and the interface connector, a wireless transmissionmodule, and an apparatus controller connected with the storage elementand the wireless transmission module. In the method, a connectionrequest is received from a remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, and the apparatus controller receives theconnection request and accordingly sends a first inquiry message to theremote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module to askwhether to establish a wireless data transmission path. The apparatuscontroller receives a confirmation message returned from the remoteapparatus by using the wireless transmission module, and accordinglycloses the connector control interface and establishes the wireless datatransmission path to provide the remote apparatus to access data in thestorage element. The connector control interface is an interfacecontroller or a control interface in the apparatus controller thatsimulates an interface controller.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method for closing the connectorcontrol interface includes turning off a power supplied to the connectorcontrol interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of sending the firstinquiry message to the remote apparatus to ask whether to establish thewireless data transmission path, the method further includes determiningwhether the confirmation message is received within a predeterminedtime, and cancelling the connection request for establishing thewireless data transmission path when the confirmation message is notreceived within the predetermined time.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of sending the firstinquiry message to the remote apparatus to ask whether to establish thewireless data transmission path, the method further includes receiving acancel message returned from the remote apparatus, and accordinglycancelling the connection request for establishing the wireless datatransmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of establishing thewireless data transmission path to provide the remote apparatus toaccess data in the storage element, the method further includesdetermining whether an external apparatus is connected to the interfaceconnector by the apparatus controller, and sending a second inquirymessage to the remote apparatus to ask whether to switch a datatransmission path when the apparatus controller determines that theexternal apparatus is connected to the interface connector, wherein whenthe apparatus controller receives the confirmation message returned fromthe remote apparatus, the apparatus controller activates the connectorcontrol interface to establish a wired data transmission path andinterrupt the wireless data transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the step of interrupting the wirelessdata transmission path includes disconnecting a connection between theapparatus controller and the storage element to interrupt the wirelessdata transmission path, or disconnecting a connection between a wirelesssignal control interface of the apparatus controller and the storageelement to interrupt the wireless data transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of sending the secondinquiry message to the remote apparatus to ask whether to switch thedata transmission path, the method further includes determining whetherthe confirmation message is received within the predetermined time, andcancelling establishment of the wired data transmission path when theconfirmation message is not received within the predetermined time.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of sending the secondinquiry message to the remote apparatus to ask whether to switch thedata transmission path, the method further includes receiving a cancelmessage returned from the remote apparatus, so as to cancelestablishment of the wired data transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of receiving theconnection request from the remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, the method further includes following steps. Theapparatus controller receives the connection request and determineswhether an external apparatus is connected to a wired data transmissionpath established by the interface connector. When the apparatuscontroller determines that none wired data transmission path existsbetween the storage apparatus and the external apparatus, the apparatuscontroller directly accepts the connection request and establishes thewireless data transmission path and meanwhile closes the connectorcontrol interface to close the wired path. When the apparatus controllerdetermines that the wired data transmission path exists between thestorage apparatus and the external apparatus, the apparatus controllerdetermines whether the wired data transmission path is in an idle state.When the apparatus controller determines that the wired datatransmission path is in the idle state, the apparatus controllerdirectly accepts the connection request and establishes the wirelessdata transmission path and meanwhile closes the connector controlinterface to close the wired path. When the apparatus controllerdetermines that the wired data transmission path is not in the idlestate, the apparatus controller sends the first inquiry message to theremote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module, so as to askwhether to establish the wireless data transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the step of determining whether thewired data transmission path is in the idle state by the apparatuscontroller further includes following steps. The apparatus controllerdetermines whether the wired data transmission path is in the idle stateover a predetermined time, and when a time of the idle state is greaterthan the predetermined time, the apparatus controller directly acceptsthe connection request and establishes the wireless data transmissionpath and meanwhile closes the connector control interface to close thewired path.

The invention provides a storage apparatus including a storage element,an interface connector, a connector control interface connected with thestorage element and the interface connector, a wireless transmissionmodule, and an apparatus controller connected with the storage elementand the wireless transmission module. The apparatus controller receivesa connection request from a remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, and accordingly sends a first inquiry message tothe remote apparatus to ask whether to establish a wireless datatransmission path. When the apparatus controller receives a confirmationmessage returned from the remote apparatus, the apparatus controllercloses the connector control interface and establishes the wireless datatransmission path with the remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, so as to provide the remote apparatus to accessdata in the storage element. The connector control interface is aninterface controller or a control interface in the apparatus controllerthat simulates an interface controller.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method for closing the connectorcontrol interface includes turning off a power supplied to the connectorcontrol interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus controller furtherdetermines whether the confirmation message is received within apredetermined time, and cancels the connection request for establishingthe wireless data transmission path when the confirmation message is notreceived within the predetermined time.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus controller furtherreceives a cancel message returned from the remote apparatus, so as tocancel the connection request for establishing the wireless datatransmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the storage apparatus furtherincludes a power switch, which is coupled to the power, the connectorcontrol interface and the apparatus controller, and receives a controlsignal of the apparatus controller, so as to turn off or turn on thepower supplied to the connector control interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the storage apparatus furtherincludes a data switch, which is disposed between the connector controlinterface, the apparatus controller and the storage element, andreceives a control signal of the apparatus controller, so as toestablish or switch a data connection between the storage element andthe connector control interface and the apparatus controller.

In an embodiment of the invention, the storage apparatus furtherincludes a data switch, which is disposed between the apparatuscontroller and the storage element, and establishes or switches a dataconnection between the storage element and the connector controlinterface and a wireless signal control interface according to a controlsignal of the apparatus controller. The connector control interface andthe wireless signal control interface are all disposed in the apparatuscontroller.

In an embodiment of the invention, the interface connector detectswhether an external apparatus is connected, and accordingly sends aconnection signal to the apparatus controller, and when the apparatuscontroller receives the connection signal, the apparatus controllerfurther sends a second inquiry message to the remote apparatus to askwhether to switch a data transmission path, and receives theconfirmation message returned from the remote apparatus to accordinglyturn on the power supplied to the connector control interface, so as toestablish a wired data transmission path and interrupts the wirelessdata transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus controller disconnectsa connection between the apparatus controller and the storage element tointerrupt the wireless data transmission path, or disconnects aconnection between a wireless signal control interface of the apparatuscontroller and the storage element to interrupt the wireless datatransmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus controller furtherdetermines whether the confirmation message is received within thepredetermined time, and cancels establishment of the wired datatransmission path when the confirmation message is not received withinthe predetermined time.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus controller furtherreceives a cancel message returned from the remote apparatus, andaccordingly cancels establishment of the wired data transmission path.

In an embodiment of the invention, the interface connector and theconnector control interface support a universal serial bus (USB)standard, and the wireless transmission module supports signaltransceiving of a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, and a bluetoothsystem.

According to the above descriptions, in the method and the storageapparatus for switching the data transmission path to transmit data ofthe present invention, when a remote apparatus is connected through awireless manner, or when an external apparatus is connected through awired manner, an inquiry message is transmitted to the remote apparatusto provide a user of the remote apparatus to confirm whether or not toswitch the data transmission path, so as to achieve an effect of freelyswitching between the wired data transmission path and the wireless datatransmission path to transmit data.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages ofthe invention comprehensible, several exemplary embodiments accompaniedwith figures are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a storage apparatus according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching a datatransmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a storage apparatus according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching a datatransmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching a datatransmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching a datatransmission path to transmit data according to another embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

In the invention, an apparatus controller and a connector controlinterface are configured in a storage apparatus to respectively controla wireless data connection and a wired data connection. When a newexternal apparatus is connected to the storage apparatus through a wiredmanner or a wireless manner, a current connection state of the storageapparatus can be opportunely notified to a user of the externalapparatus, so as to switch between a wired data transmission path and awireless data transmission path to transmit data, by which flexibilityand convenience for the user accessing data in the storage apparatus areimproved.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a storage apparatus according to anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the storage apparatus10 of the present embodiment is an electronic apparatus such as a harddisk or a memory card that can provide a data storage function. Thestorage apparatus 10 includes a storage element 11, an interfaceconnector 12, an interface controller 13, a wireless transmission module14 and an apparatus controller 15, which are respectively describedbelow.

The storage element 11 is, for example, a fixed or removable randomaccess memory (RAM) of any type, a read-only memory (ROM), a flashmemory, a hard disk, other similar devices or a combination of the abovedevices, which is used for storing data.

The interface connector 12 and the interface controller 13 are, forexample, a connector and a controller supporting interface standardssuch as universal serial bus (USB) 2.0, USB 3.0, firewire, andthunderbolt. The interface controller 13 is connected to the interfaceconnector 12, and when an external apparatus is connected to theinterface connector 12, the interface controller 13 establishes a wireddata transmission path between the external apparatus and the storageapparatus 10 to provide the external apparatus to access data in thestorage element 11. Along with different product designs, the apparatuscontroller 15 may simultaneously have a connector control interfacesimulating the interface controller and a wireless signal controlinterface used for processing wireless signals, such that the apparatuscontroller 15 can be directly connected to the interface connector 12 toform a wired data transmission path and can be connected to the wirelesstransmission module 14 and a remote apparatus through the wirelesssignal control interface to form a wireless data transmission path,though the invention is not limited thereto.

The wireless transmission module 14 is, for example, an apparatussupporting signal trasceiving of a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, oran apparatus supporting signal transceiving of a global system formobile communication (GSM), a personal handy-phone system (PHS), a codedivision multiple access (CDMA) system, a worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX) system or bluetooth, etc., which provides theexternal apparatus to connect the storage apparatus through a wirelessmanner, and accordingly establishes the wireless data transmission pathbetween the external apparatus and the storage apparatus 10, so as toprovide the external apparatus to access data in the storage element 11.The wireless transmission module 14 can also be connected to an accesspoint (AP) around the storage apparatus 10, and can be further connectedto a network through the AP, so as to share the data in the storageelement 11.

The apparatus controller 15 is, for example, a system on a chip (SoC),which is connected to the storage element 11 and the wirelesstransmission module 14, and receives a connection request from theremote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module 14, so as toestablish the wireless data transmission path to transmit data.

In detail, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching adata transmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the method of the present embodimentis adapted to the storage apparatus 10 of FIG. 1, and detailed steps ofthe method of the present embodiment are described below with referenceto various components in the storage apparatus 10 of FIG. 1.

First, the apparatus controller 15 receives a connection request from aremote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module 14 (stepS202), where a user of the remote apparatus may activate an applicationprogram preinstalled in the remote apparatus, so as to connect thestorage apparatus 10 through the application program. The applicationprogram, for example, searches the storage apparatus 10 on the networkthrough Internet or intranet according to an Internet protocol (IP)address preset by the user, and sends the connection request to thewireless transmission module 14 of the storage apparatus 10 to try toestablish a wireless connection with the wireless transmission module14.

After the wireless transmission module 14 receives the connectionrequest from the remote apparatus, the apparatus controller 15 sends aninquiry message to the remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module 14 to ask whether to establish a wireless datatransmission path (step S204). The inquiry message sent by the apparatuscontroller 15 is, for example, received by the application program ofthe remote apparatus, and is displayed on a screen of the remoteapparatus to ask the user of the remote apparatus whether to establishthe wireless data transmission path. The application program determineswhether the user wants to establish the wireless data transmission pathaccording to an operation of the user, and accordingly sends aconfirmation message or a cancel message to the storage apparatus 10.

Finally, the apparatus controller 15 receives a message returned fromthe remote apparatus through the wireless transmission module 14 (stepS206), and determines whether to establish the wireless datatransmission path. When the apparatus controller 15 receives theconfirmation message returned from the remote apparatus, the apparatuscontroller 15, for example, closes the interface controller 13 andestablishes the wireless data transmission path with the remoteapparatus by using the wireless transmission module 14, so as to providethe remote apparatus to access data in the storage element 11 (stepS208). A method for closing the interface controller 13 includes turningoff a power supplied to the interface controller 13 by the storageapparatus 10. By turning off the power of the interface controller 13,it is ensured that the external apparatus connected to the interfaceconnector 12 and the remote apparatus do not simultaneously write datato the storage element 11 so as to avoid write error and data loss.

On the other hand, when the apparatus controller 15 receives a cancelmessage returned from the remote apparatus, the apparatus controller 15cancels the connection request for establishing the wireless datatransmission path, and maintains the original data transmission path(step S210). If the interface connector 12 is originally connected tothe external apparatus, the interface controller 13 continuallymaintains the wired data transmission path between the externalapparatus and the storage apparatus 10, so as to provide the externalapparatus to access data in the storage element 11.

It should be noticed that after sending the inquiry message to theremote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module 14, theapparatus controller 15 counts a time for waiting the message returnedfrom the remote apparatus, and determines whether the confirmationmessage is received within a predetermined time, and if the confirmationmessage is not received within the predetermined time, the apparatuscontroller 15 automatically cancels the connection request forestablishing the wireless data transmission path.

According to the above method, in case that the remote apparatus triesto establish a connection through a wireless manner, the storageapparatus provides the user of the remote apparatus to freely select toestablish the wireless data transmission path or maintain the originalwired data transmission path, by which flexibility and convenience forthe user accessing data in the storage apparatus are improved.

It should be noticed that after establishing the wireless datatransmission path with the remote apparatus, the storage apparatus 10continually detects whether the local terminal is connected to otherapparatus, so as to opportunely switch back to the wired datatransmission path to transmit data. Another embodiment is provided belowfor detailed descriptions.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a storage apparatus according to anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the storage apparatus30 of the present embodiment is an electronic apparatus such as a harddisk or a memory card that can provides a data storage function. Thestorage apparatus 30 can be connected to an external apparatus 40through a wired manner or connected to a remote apparatus 50 through awireless manner. The storage apparatus 30 includes a storage element 31,an interface connector 32, an interface controller 33, a wirelesstransmission module 34, an apparatus controller 35, a power switch 36and a data switch 37. Functions of the storage element 31, the interfaceconnector 32, the interface controller 33, the wireless transmissionmodule 34 and the apparatus controller 35 are the same as or similar tothose of the storage element 11, the interface connector 12, theinterface controller 13, the wireless transmission module 14 and theapparatus controller 15, so that details thereof are not repeated.

Different to the aforementioned embodiment, in the present embodiment,the apparatus controller 35 is connected to the interface connector 32,and detection pins configured on the interface connector 32 can be usedto detect whether the external apparatus 40 is connected to theinterface connector 32. Moreover, the apparatus controller 35 is furtherconnected to the power switch 36 and can turn off or turn on the powersupplied to the interface controller 33 through the power switch 36.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the data switch 37 isfurther disposed between the storage element 31, the interfacecontroller 33 and the apparatus controller 36, and can establish a dataconnection between the storage element 31 and the interface controller33 or between the storage element 31 and the apparatus controller 35, orcan be switched between the two controllers under control of theapparatus controller 35. The data switch 37 is, for example, connectedto the storage element 31, the interface controller 33, and theapparatus controller 35 through a serial advanced technology attachment(SATA) interface and can be switched therebetween, which is not limitedby the invention.

In detail, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching adata transmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment ofthe invention. According to FIG. 4, the method of the present embodimentis adapted to the storage apparatus 30 of FIG. 3, and detailed steps ofswitching the wired data transmission path to the wireless datatransmission path to transmit data are described below with reference tovarious components in the storage apparatus 30 of FIG. 3.

First, the apparatus controller 35 receives a connection request fromthe remote apparatus 50 through a network 60 by using the wirelesstransmission module 34 (step S402), and sends an inquiry message to theremote apparatus 50 through the network 60 to ask the remote apparatus50 whether to establish a wireless data transmission path (step S404).

Then, the apparatus controller 35 receives a message returned from theremote apparatus 50 through the network 60 by using the wirelesstransmission module 34 (step S406), and determines whether to establishthe wireless data transmission path. When the apparatus controller 35receives the confirmation message that confirms to establish thewireless data transmission path from the remote apparatus 50, theapparatus controller 35, for example, sends a control signal to the dataswitch 37 to interrupt the data connection between the interfacecontroller 33 and the data switch 37, and establish a data connectionbetween itself and the data switch 37 (step S408).

Then, the apparatus controller 35 sends a control signal to the powerswitch 36 to turn off the power supplied to the interface controller 33through the power switch 36 (step S410), and establishes the wirelessdata transmission path with the remote apparatus 50 by using thewireless transmission module 34, so as to provide the remote apparatus50 to access data in the storage element 31 (step S412).

On the other hand, when the apparatus controller 35 receives a cancelmessage that cancels establishing the wireless data transmission pathfrom the remote apparatus 50, the apparatus controller 35 cancels theconnection request for establishing the wireless data transmission path,and maintains the original wired data transmission path (step S414).Similarly, after sending the inquiry message to the remote apparatus 50,the apparatus controller 35 counts a time for waiting the messagereturned from the remote apparatus 50, and determines whether theconfirmation message is received within a predetermined time. If theconfirmation message is not received within the predetermined time, theapparatus controller 35 automatically cancels the connection request forestablishing the wireless data transmission path.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching a datatransmission path to transmit data according to an embodiment of theinvention. According to FIG. 5, the method of the present embodimentfollows the flow of FIG. 4, and detailed steps of switching the wirelessdata transmission path to the wired data transmission path to transmitdata are described below.

After the storage apparatus 30 establishes the wireless datatransmission path with the remote apparatus 50 to transmit data, thestorage apparatus 30 still uses the interface controller 33 to detectwhether the external apparatus 40 is connected. When the interfacecontroller 33 detects that the external apparatus 40 is connected, theinterface controller 33 sends a connection signal to the apparatuscontroller 35. When the apparatus controller 35 receives the connectionsignal (step S502), the apparatus controller 35 sends an inquiry messageto the remote apparatus 50 by using the wireless transmission module 34through the network 60 to ask whether to switch the data transmissionpath (step S504). Similarly, the inquiry message sent by the apparatuscontroller 35 is, for example, received by the application program ofthe remote apparatus 50, and is displayed on a screen of the remoteapparatus 50 to ask the user of the remote apparatus 50 whether toswitch the data transmission path. The application program determineswhether the user wants to switch the data transmission path according toan operation of the user, and accordingly sends a confirmation messageor a cancel message to the storage apparatus 30.

The apparatus controller 35 receives a message returned from the remoteapparatus 50 through the network 60 by using the wireless transmissionmodule 34 (step S506), and determines whether to switch the datatransmission path. When the apparatus controller 35 receives theconfirmation message returned from the remote apparatus 50, theapparatus controller 35, for example, sends a control signal to the dataswitch 37 to interrupt the data connection between itself and the dataswitch 37, and establish the data connection between the interfacecontroller 33 and the data switch 37 (step S508). Then, the apparatuscontroller 35 sends a control signal to the power switch 36 to turn onthe power supplied to the interface controller 33 through the powerswitch 36 (step S510), so as to establish the wired data transmissionpath between the interface controller 33 and the external apparatus 40(step S512), and interrupt the wireless data transmission path betweenitself and the remote apparatus 50.

On the other hand, when the apparatus controller 35 receives a cancelmessage returned from the remote apparatus 50, the apparatus controller35 cancels establishment of the wired data transmission path, andmaintains the original wireless data transmission path (step S514).Similarly, after sending the inquiry message to the remote apparatus 50,the apparatus controller 35 counts a time for waiting the messagereturned from the remote apparatus 50, and determines whether theconfirmation message is received within a predetermined time. If theconfirmation message is not received within the predetermined time, theapparatus controller 35 automatically cancels the establishment of thewired data transmission path.

Along with different product designs, as the storage apparatus 30connects the external apparatus 40 by using the interface connector 32,if the remote apparatus 50 is connected to the wireless transmissionmodule 34 of the storage apparatus 30 through the network 60 in order toestablish the wireless data transmission path to transmit data, theapparatus controller 35 first determines whether the wired datatransmission path established between the interface connector 32 and theexternal apparatus 40 is being used to transmit data. If the apparatuscontroller 35 determines that the wired data transmission path is notbeing used to transmit data, the apparatus controller 35 does not sendthe inquiry message to the remote apparatus 50, and the remote apparatus50 can be directly connected to the wireless transmission module 34 ofthe storage apparatus 30 through the network 60 to establish thewireless data transmission path to transmit data. If the apparatuscontroller 35 determines that the wired data transmission path is beingused to transmit data, the apparatus controller 35 sends the inquirymessage to the remote apparatus 50, and after receiving the confirmationmessage from the remote apparatus 50, the apparatus controller 35 closesthe wired data transmission path according to the confirmation messageand meanwhile establishes the wireless data transmission path or cancelsthe request for establishing the wireless data transmission path. Whendata transmission performed by using the wireless data transmission pathis completed, the apparatus controller 35 automatically closes thewireless data transmission path to re-establish the wired datatransmission path between the storage apparatus 30 and the externalapparatus 40.

Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method forswitching a data transmission path to transmit data according to anotherembodiment of the invention. The method of the present embodiment isadapted to the storage apparatus 30 of FIG. 3, and detailed steps ofswitching the wired data transmission path to the wireless datatransmission path to transmit data are described below with reference tovarious components in the storage apparatus 30 of FIG. 3.

When the apparatus controller 35 of the storage apparatus 30 receives arequest for establishing a wireless data connection path from the remoteapparatus 50 connected to the wireless transmission module 34 of thestorage apparatus 30 through the network 60 (step S602), the apparatuscontroller 35 first determines whether the external apparatus 40 hasestablished the wired data transmission path with the storage apparatus30 by using the interface connector 32 (step S604). When the apparatuscontroller 35 determines that the wired data transmission path is notestablished, the apparatus controller 35 directly establishes thewireless data transmission path with the remote apparatus 50 (step S606)such that data transmission between the storage apparatus 30 and theremote apparatus 50 can be implemented by using the wireless datatransmission path. When the apparatus controller 35 determines that theexternal apparatus 40 has established the wired data transmission pathwith the storage apparatus 30, the apparatus controller 35 furtherdetermines whether the wired data transmission path is in an idle stateor in the idle state over a predetermined time (step S608), where theidle state is a state that the wired data transmission path is not usedto transmit data. When the apparatus controller 35 determines that thewired data transmission path is in the idle state or in the idle stateover the predetermined time, the apparatus controller 35 closes thewired data transmission path and accepts the request of the remoteapparatus 50 to directly establish the wireless data transmission pathwith the remote apparatus 50 (S610). When the apparatus controller 35determines that the wired data transmission path is not in the idlestate (i.e. the wired data transmission path is being used to transmitdata), the apparatus controller 35 sends the inquiry message to theremote apparatus 50 by using the wireless transmission module 34 to askwhether to switch the data transmission path (step S612), where theapparatus controller 35 determines whether the wired data transmissionpath is in the idle state according to a signal transmitted by theinterface controller 33 or a connector control interface in theapparatus controller 35 used for simulating the interface controller.Similarly, the inquiry message sent by the apparatus controller 35 is,for example, received by the application program of the remote apparatus50, and is displayed on a screen of the remote apparatus 50 to ask theuser of the remote apparatus 50 whether to switch the data transmissionpath. The application program determines whether the user wants toswitch the data transmission path according to an operation of the user,and accordingly sends a confirmation message or a cancel message to thestorage apparatus 30.

The apparatus controller 35 receives a message returned from the remoteapparatus 50 through the network 60 by using the wireless transmissionmodule 34 (step S614), and determines whether to switch the datatransmission path. When the apparatus controller 35 receives theconfirmation message returned from the remote apparatus 50, theapparatus controller 35, for example, sends a control signal to the dataswitch 37 to interrupt a connection between the interface controller 33or the connector control interface simulating the interface controller33 and the data switch 37, and establish a data connection between theapparatus controller 35 and the data switch 37 (step S616). Then, theapparatus controller 35 sends a control signal to the power switch 36 toturn off the power supplied to the interface controller 33 through thepower switch 36 (step S618), so as to interrupt the wired datatransmission path, and the apparatus controller 35 accepts the requestof the remote apparatus 50 to establish the wireless data transmissionpath between the storage apparatus 30 and the remote apparatus 50 (stepS620). Along with different product designs, after data transmissionperformed by using the wireless data transmission path is completed orthe wireless data transmission path is not used to transmit data for aperiod of time, the apparatus controller 35 automatically closes thewireless data transmission path to re-establish the wired datatransmission path between the storage apparatus 30 and the externalapparatus 40.

On the other hand, when the apparatus controller 35 receives a cancelmessage returned from the remote apparatus 50, the apparatus controller35 cancels the request for establishing the wireless data transmissionpath, and maintains the original wired data transmission path (stepS622). Similarly, after sending the inquiry message to the remoteapparatus 50, the apparatus controller 35 counts a time for waiting themessage returned from the remote apparatus 50, and determines whetherthe confirmation message is received within a predetermined time. If theconfirmation message is not received within the predetermined time, theapparatus controller 35 automatically cancels the request forestablishing the wireless data transmission path.

In this way, in case that the local terminal is connected with theexternal apparatus, the storage apparatus can provide the user of theremote apparatus to freely select to establish the wired datatransmission path (or the wireless data transmission path), or maintainthe original wireless data transmission path (or the wired datatransmission path), by which flexibility and convenience for the useraccessing data in the storage apparatus are improved.

In summary, in the method and the storage apparatus for switching thedata transmission path to transmit data, when the remote apparatus isconnected through a wireless manner, or when the external apparatus isconnected through a wired manner, the inquiry message is transmitted tothe remote apparatus to provide the user of the remote apparatus toconfirm whether or not to switch the data transmission path, so that itis unnecessary to wait the user to unplug the originally connectedexternal apparatus. In this way, an effect of freely switching betweenthe wired data transmission path and the wireless data transmission pathto transmit data is achieved.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of theinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention covermodifications and variations of this invention provided they fall withinthe scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for switching a data transmission pathto transmit data, adapted to a storage apparatus, wherein the storageapparatus comprises a storage element, an interface connector, aconnector control interface connected with the storage element and theinterface connector, a wireless transmission module, and an apparatuscontroller connected with the storage element and the wirelesstransmission module, the method comprising: receiving a connectionrequest from a remote apparatus by using the wireless transmissionmodule; the apparatus controller receiving the connection request, andsending a first inquiry message to the remote apparatus by using thewireless transmission module to ask whether to establish a wireless datatransmission path; and the apparatus controller receiving a confirmationmessage returned from the remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, and accordingly closing the connector controlinterface and establishing the wireless data transmission path toprovide the remote apparatus to access data in the storage element. 2.The method for switching the data transmission path to transmit data asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the connector control interface is aninterface controller.
 3. The method for switching the data transmissionpath to transmit data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectorcontrol interface is a control interface in the apparatus controllerthat simulates an interface controller.
 4. The method for switching thedata transmission path to transmit data as claimed in claim 1, wherein amethod for closing the connector control interface comprises turning offa power supplied to the connector control interface.
 5. The method forswitching the data transmission path to transmit data as claimed inclaim 1, wherein after the step of sending the first inquiry message tothe remote apparatus to ask whether to establish the wireless datatransmission path, the method further comprises: determining whether theconfirmation message is received within a predetermined time, andcancelling the connection request for establishing the wireless datatransmission path when the confirmation message is not received withinthe predetermined time.
 6. The method for switching the datatransmission path to transmit data as claimed in claim 1, wherein afterthe step of sending the first inquiry message to the remote apparatus toask whether to establish the wireless data transmission path, the methodfurther comprises: receiving a cancel message returned from the remoteapparatus, and accordingly cancelling the connection request forestablishing the wireless data transmission path.
 7. The method forswitching the data transmission path to transmit data as claimed inclaim 1, wherein after the step of establishing the wireless datatransmission path to provide the remote apparatus to access data in thestorage element, the method further comprises: the apparatus controllerdetermining whether an external apparatus is connected to the interfaceconnector; the apparatus controller sending a second inquiry message tothe remote apparatus to ask whether to switch a data transmission pathwhen determining that the external apparatus is connected; and theapparatus controller activating the connector control interface whenreceiving the confirmation message returned from the remote apparatus,so as to establish a wired data transmission path and interrupt thewireless data transmission path.
 8. The method for switching the datatransmission path to transmit data as claimed in claim 7, wherein thestep of interrupting the wireless data transmission path comprises:disconnecting a connection between the apparatus controller and thestorage element to interrupt the wireless data transmission path.
 9. Themethod for switching the data transmission path to transmit data asclaimed in claim 7, wherein the step of interrupting the wireless datatransmission path comprises: disconnecting a connection between awireless signal control interface of the apparatus controller and thestorage element to interrupt the wireless data transmission path. 10.The method for switching the data transmission path to transmit data asclaimed in claim 7, wherein after the step of sending the second inquirymessage to the remote apparatus to ask whether to switch the datatransmission path, the method further comprises: determining whether theconfirmation message is received within the predetermined time; andcancelling establishment of the wired data transmission path when theconfirmation message is not received within the predetermined time. 11.The method for switching the data transmission path to transmit data asclaimed in claim 7, wherein after the step of sending the second inquirymessage to the remote apparatus to ask whether to switch the datatransmission path, the method further comprises: receiving a cancelmessage returned from the remote apparatus, so as to cancelestablishment of the wired data transmission path.
 12. The method forswitching the data transmission path to transmit data as claimed inclaim 1, wherein after the step of receiving the connection request fromthe remote apparatus by using the wireless transmission module, themethod further comprises: the apparatus controller receiving theconnection request, and determining whether an external apparatus isconnected to a wired data transmission path established by the interfaceconnector; the apparatus controller directly accepting the connectionrequest, establishing the wireless data transmission path, and closingthe connector control interface to close the wired path when determiningthat none wired data transmission path exists between the storageapparatus and the external apparatus; the apparatus controllerdetermining whether the wired data transmission path is in an idle statewhen determining that the wired data transmission path exists betweenthe storage apparatus and the external apparatus; the apparatuscontroller directly accepting the connection request, establishing thewireless data transmission path, and closing the connector controlinterface to close the wired path when determining that the wired datatransmission path is in the idle state; and the apparatus controllersending the first inquiry message to the remote apparatus by using thewireless transmission module, so as to ask whether to establish thewireless data transmission path when determining that the wired datatransmission path is not in the idle state.
 13. The method for switchingthe data transmission path to transmit data as claimed in claim 12,wherein the idle sate is a state that the wired data transmission pathis not used to transmit data.
 14. The method for switching the datatransmission path to transmit data as claimed in claim 12, wherein thestep of the apparatus controller determining whether the wired datatransmission path is in the idle state further comprises: the apparatuscontroller determining whether the wired data transmission path is inthe idle state over a predetermined time; and the apparatus controllerdirectly accepting the connection request, establishing the wirelessdata transmission path, and closing the connector control interface toclose the wired path when a time of the idle state is greater than thepredetermined time.
 15. The method for switching the data transmissionpath to transmit data as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interfaceconnector and the connector control interface support interfacestandards of universal serial bus (USB), firewire and thunderbolt. 16.The method for switching the data transmission path to transmit data asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission module is anapparatus supporting signal transceiving of a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)system, a global system for mobile communication (GSM), a personalhandy-phone system (PHS), a code division multiple access (CDMA) system,a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system orbluetooth.
 17. A storage apparatus, comprising: a storage element; aninterface connector; a connector control interface, connected with thestorage element and the interface connector; a wireless transmissionmodule; and an apparatus controller, connected with the storage elementand the wireless transmission module, and configured to receive aconnection request from a remote apparatus by using the wirelesstransmission module, and accordingly send a first inquiry message to theremote apparatus to ask whether to establish a wireless datatransmission path, wherein when the apparatus controller receives aconfirmation message returned from the remote apparatus, the apparatuscontroller closes the connector control interface and establishes thewireless data transmission path with the remote apparatus by using thewireless transmission module, so as to provide the remote apparatus toaccess data in the storage element.
 18. The storage apparatus as claimedin claim 17, wherein the connector control interface is an interfacecontroller.
 19. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, whereinthe connector control interface is a control interface in the apparatuscontroller that simulates an interface controller.
 20. The storageapparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a method for closing theconnector control interface comprises turning off a power supplied tothe connector control interface.
 21. The storage apparatus as claimed inclaim 17, wherein the apparatus controller further determines whetherthe confirmation message is received within a predetermined time, andcancels the connection request for establishing the wireless datatransmission path when the confirmation message is not received withinthe predetermined time.
 22. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim17, wherein the apparatus controller further receives a cancel messagereturned from the remote apparatus, so as to cancel the connectionrequest for establishing the wireless data transmission path.
 23. Thestorage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising: a powerswitch, coupled to the power, the connector control interface and theapparatus controller, and configured to receive a control signal of theapparatus controller, so as to turn off or turn on the power supplied tothe connector control interface.
 24. The storage apparatus as claimed inclaim 17, further comprising: a data switch, disposed between theconnector control interface, the apparatus controller and the storageelement, and configured to receive a control signal of the apparatuscontroller, so as to establish or switch a data connection between thestorage element and the connector control interface and the apparatuscontroller.
 25. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, furthercomprising: a data switch, disposed between the apparatus controller andthe storage element, and configured to establish or switch a dataconnection between the storage element and the connector controlinterface and a wireless signal control interface according to a controlsignal of the apparatus controller.
 26. The storage apparatus as claimedin claim 25, wherein the connector control interface and the wirelesssignal control interface are all disposed in the apparatus controller.27. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the connectorcontrol interface detects whether an external apparatus is connected,and accordingly sends a connection signal to the apparatus controller,and the apparatus controller further sends a second inquiry message tothe remote apparatus to ask whether to switch a data transmission pathwhen receiving the connection signal, and receives the confirmationmessage returned from the remote apparatus to accordingly turn on thepower supplied to the connector control interface, so as to establish awired data transmission path and interrupts the wireless datatransmission path.
 28. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 27,wherein the apparatus controller disconnects a connection between theapparatus controller and the storage element to interrupt the wirelessdata transmission path.
 29. The storage apparatus as claimed in claim27, wherein the apparatus controller disconnects a connection between awireless signal control interface of the apparatus controller and thestorage element to interrupt the wireless data transmission path. 30.The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the apparatuscontroller further determines whether the confirmation message isreceived within the predetermined time, and cancels establishment of thewired data transmission path when the confirmation message is notreceived within the predetermined time.
 31. The storage apparatus asclaimed in claim 27, wherein the apparatus controller further receives acancel message returned from the remote apparatus, and accordinglycancels establishment of the wired data transmission path.
 32. Thestorage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the interfaceconnector and the connector control interface support interfacestandards of universal serial bus (USB), firewire and thunderbolt. 33.The storage apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the wirelesstransmission module is an apparatus supporting signal transceiving of awireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a global system for mobilecommunication (GSM), a personal handy-phone system (PHS), a codedivision multiple access (CDMA) system, a worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX) system or bluetooth.